Book Club Books 2019

Unanimous thumbs up for these two titles from out book club selections so far this year:

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas: This book delivers a powerful punch. Thomas GOES there! In this young adult novel, we live through a teenage girl watching her black friend get murdered by the police. He had his brush in his hand, not a gun. It was an instant best seller and turned into a movie. Thomas is a writer and rapper. She holds NOTHING back. Every human being should read this book about racism, police brutality, and black lives. I especially believe that every person in education, from the janitors to heads of colleges should read this book. IMPORTANT!

The Soul of an Octopus A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery. I love it when a non-fiction book reads like a novel. One of our members swore off calamari after reading this account of several octopus that she studied and fell in love with. These sea creatures live a short life, around three years and are highly intelligent, spirited, all with their unique personalities. You will love getting to know the three octopuses gentle Athena, curious Kali, and joyful Karma. Scientists are realizing that not only are animals intelligent, but they can teach us humans a thing or two! And you will LOVE it!

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 5 Stars

Recommended to me over a year ago, I finally downloaded it from Audible. Its narrator is the award winning Nicholas Guy Smith. He's perfect for the quiet spoken Count Alexander Rostov, who in 1922 is sentenced to spend the rest of his life in the grand Metropol Hotel across the street from the Kremlin. He will be shot on sight if he leaves. Determined to make the best of his situation, he states, “if a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.”

I adored this book....laughing, sobbing, giggling...it hit every emotion. If it's not up for a bunch of awards I will be sad. Of course it is character driven from the people involved in the hotel. From guests to employees, then there are the Count's friends he knew before his "imprisonment". But it is the Count that makes this a GREAT book. 

His knowledge mixed with his ever present kindness teaches us lessons that we didnt' know we needed.  

Towels writing is filled with humor and much grace. I am a library rat and rarely purchase books that are not a gift. I loved this one so much I had to own it in my home library. High praise indeed! 

NPR Great 2018 Picture Book We Don't Eat Our Classmates

Penelope, the dinosaur, just can't resist eating her classmates. Don't worry...she coughs them back up. My grandloves and their classmates LOVED this read aloud! Be ready for raucous laughter! 5 out of 5 stars! Up there with my favorite picture books of all time!

Fabulous Recent Reads

 In case I haven't raved enough about this young, prolific, superb Swedish writer, I implore you to seek out his books. A Man Called Ove was his first and instant best seller. Can't wait for the American movie as Tom Hanks seems a good choice. There is a subtitled Swedish version. Bear Town and its sequel Us Against You are just brilliant. Georgie is about finished with Us and remarked, "I just love his writing". Yes....that is what we utter the entire time we are reading him.